There Is More Where That Came From! Open Universe Thinking in Missions Mobilization.

There is more where that came from! Whether we are aware of it or not many of us have been influenced by the worldview of Naturalism. Naturalism is a worldview that asserts that there is nothing real that exists outside the physical universe. Naturalism or closed universe thinking assumes that we are always operating with finite resources. If we have finite resources, one implication is that if one person takes more resources there are then fewer resources for everyone else. God, however, can create out of nothing and is not constrained by finite resources. We can see that Jesus operated in an open universe with events like feeding the 5000. We are proposing that closed universe thinking (scarcity thinking) is a worldview root in the Body of Christ that has implications for missions mobilization. When a missions mobilizer works to help a community to focus on the unreached there is often resistance. The resistance goes like this. ” we do not have enough resources to accomplish our kingdom vision for our city, why should we send some of our insufficient resources overseas to unreached peoples.” Perhaps this response flows from closed universe thinking and is not trusting God who is able to multiply our few loaves and fish. Missions mobilizers must work to address the worldview roots like closed universe thinking (scarcity thinking) that can inhibit believers from generous investment into the most unreached peoples in the world.